Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) on Friday signed a law that aims to modernize Florida’s home healthcare system by revising agency ownership requirements, changing care delivery regulations, and modifying state-run quality assurance programs.
“This is a major step forward for Florida families who now rely or could rely on home healthcare,” state rep. Gallop Franklin (D), who introduced the bill in February, said Friday in a statement. “With the governor’s signature, we’re cutting red tape, empowering providers, and helping ensure more Floridians receive quality care in the comfort of their own homes.”
HB 1353 updates Florida’s home health licensing and staffing rules to better reflect modern industry standards. It allows a single home health agency administrator to manage up to five agencies under the same ownership as long as all of the agencies are within 60 minutes of travel time from each other. It also allows contracted agency staff to perform admission, evaluation and discharge visits, a duty that had previously been reserved only for employees.
“This law acknowledges the reality of how care is delivered today—and ensures our regulations support innovation, not stand in the way of it,” Franklin added.
HB 1353 also instructs Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration to revise its Excellence in Home Health Program to “fairly evaluate and recognize all types of home health agencies,” according to a summary of the bill. These revisions include criteria that judge service excellence, patient outcomes, workforce quality, and innovation in care delivery, according to the bill text.
The legislation passed both the House and the Senate by unanimous votes. It will take effect on July 1.
HB 1353 is one of several laws championed by Franklin that aim to streamline care delivery for Florida home care providers. Last year, DeSantis signed Franklin’s bill HB 935, which allowed advanced practice registered nurses and physician assistants to prescribe Medicaid home health services. Before this bill became law, only physicians could prescribe such services. Franklin said at the time that the new law would allow a greater share of Medicaid beneficiaries to access home health services.